§ *SIR HARRY BULLARD (Norwich)I beg to ask the President of the Board 180 of Agriculture whether the orders which prevent the movement of sheep out of the scheduled district in the county of Norfolk will be withdrawn in time to prevent any interference with the holding of the important market known as Tombland Fair.
§ The following questions also appeared on the paper on the same subject:—
§ SIR SAMUEL HOARE (Norwich)To ask the President of the Board of Agriculture whether any further cases of foot and mouth disease have been reported from Norfolk; and, if not, whether the remaining restrictions on the movement of stock in and out of the scheduled district might now be safely withdrawn.
§ MR. SOAMES (Norfolk, S.)To ask the President of the Board of Agriculture, will he explain why a part of the county of Suffolk, within a distance of six miles in a direct line from the scene of an outbreak of foot and month disease, has been entirely freed from restrictions, whereas a part of the county of Norfolk, at a distance of nineteen miles from the scene of any outbreak, is still under restrictions; and, if so, whether he can remove all restrictions from the county of Norfolk, except in the actually infected area.
*MR. LONGIn reply to my hon. friends the Members for Norwich, and to the question on the same subject which stands in the name of the hon. Member for South Norfolk, I would say that no further outbreak of foot and mouth disease has been reported since the 20th February, and there is now every reason to believe that the efforts made to stamp out and to prevent the spread of disease have proved successful. In these circumstances I propose to withdraw the general restrictions on movement still remaining in force as from Monday next, an arrangement which will of course enable the market to which my hon. friend refers to be held under the usual conditions.